Multihead sewing machine



March5m1929. v LEHMANN di,'l'4,009

MULTIHEAD SEWING MACHINE Filed oct. 11, 1926 4 sheetsheet l I :Ef-l

. 5 /0 ...Fra-E ema . LEHMANN 1,704,009

MULTIHED SEWING MACHINE Filed om. l1 1926 4 Sheets-sheet 2 @if am.

arch 5, 1929.

Witwe/oo n C, LEHMANN 1,704,009

MULTIHEAD SEWING MACHNE 1926 4 sheets-sheet 3 Filed OCT, 1l.

@www

March 5, 1929. c. LEHMANN MULTIHED SEWING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet Filed Oct. l1. 1926 Patented lVlar. 5,y 1929.

'cLAR-rssA LEHMANN, or sAN FRANCISCO,l CALIFORNIA.

MULTIHEAD SEWINGMAGINE.

Application-lcil'q'ctober 11, 1926. Serial 11m-140,927.

This invention relates to sewing machines of the multi-hea d type.

A primary object of the, invention is to so construct a sewing machine head that a nu1nber of rows of stitching may be simultaneously made and the rows spaced any desired distance apart.

Another object is to provide a machineof this character with needle-carrying heads 1U adapted to be adjusted and locked relatively to each other soas to produce a plurality of rows of stitches spaced uniformly apart throughout.

,Another` object is 't'o provide a'machine of l5 this character which is simple, strong and efficient and the various headsof which may be thrown out'of operation and positioned out of the way when not desired for use.

In carrying out these objects, the invention is susceptible of a Wide range of modification without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the claimed invention, there being shown in the drawings for illustrative purposes, a preferred and practical form, in which Fig. 1 represents a front elevation with parts broken out and in section;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view Awith parts broken out and in section;

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 looking'toward the needle carrier and shuttle;

Fig. 4. is a plan view of the shuttle and adjacent parts, the latter being broken o for convenience in illustration;

F ig. 5 is a transverse vertical section showing one of th'e needle carriers thrown out of operation and the shuttle box partially raised and disengaged from its locking bar; Fig. 6 is a transverse section takenon the line 6 6 of Fig. 1 and disclosing thedrive for the needles and shuttle;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of one of the needle carriers or heads with the shaft on taken on are mounted shafts 5, 6 and 7 for use in connection with the shuttle mechanism, the shaft 7 being the shuttle drive shaft while the shaft 5 forms the locking shaft for the shuttle i carriers, and shaft 6 a guide. In the upper portion of the frame 1 is mounted the needle headlocking shaft 8 and the driving shaft 9 which operates the needles in said heads.

A main driving shaft .2O operated hy any suitable means extends through the rear wall of the housing and is provided at its inner end 'with a bevel gear 21/ which meshes with a similar. gear 22 kfixed to an upright shaft 23 liournaled in suitable bearings in the top and bbttom of the housing 2, as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 6. The rotation of Shaft 23 oper ates through co-operating bevel gears 25 and 26 carried respectively by shaft 23 and shaft 7 to drive the shuttles in carriers 10.

A gear 2.1L fixed to shaft 23 meshes with a similar gear 27 fixed to an upright shaft 28 journaled in the upper and lower walls of the housing 2 and by rotation of said shaft 28 operates through beveled gears 29. and 29 fixed respectively to shafts 28 and 9 to drive the needle heads 30.

Any desired number of needle carriers or heads 30 are swingably mounted on the -shaft 9, four of'such heads being here shown, three of which are mounted to swing on shaft 9 while the fourth, numbered 31, is'fixed to the hollow arm 3 (see Fig. 1). These heads 30 and the fixed head 31 are all constructed alike and hence one only will be described in detail. Each of these heads is shown inthe the short arm 32 of which is mounted to swing on the`shaft 9 while thelong arm 33 with a presser foot 36 of conventional design carried by a shank 37 mounted to reciprocate in the arm 33 and controlled by a lever 40 in the usual manner. A wall or partition 44 is arranged at'the junction of arms 32 and 33 and has rotatably mounted therein a shaft 45 with collars 46 'fixed thereto on opposite sides of the wall to hold said shaft 45 against longitudinal movement and yet permit it to turn freely within the wall. rllhe front end of this shaft 45 which is located within the hol-low portion of the arm has a-head 47 to which is eecentridally pivoted a link 48, said link being connected with the upper end of the needle bar 34.

The other end of shaft 45 is located within the hollow arm 32 `of the head 30 and carries at its terminal a bevel gear 49 which meshes with a larger bevel gear 50 slidably keyed to shaft 9 so that when shaft 9 is rotated, the `rotation thereof will be transmitted' through the gears 49- and 50 to 'the shaft 45 and through said shaft to the needle bar 34 thereby operating the needle in a well known manner. s

The bevel gear 49 is slidably mounted on the shaft 45, being keyed thereto, and is equipped at the rear end thereof with an. annular groove 5l to receive the forks 52 of the shifting lever 53, the outer end of which extends through an opening 54 in the wall of the hollow arm 32 and is equipped at its terminal with a finger grip 55 here shown inthe form of a `knurled head. rlhe opening 54 extends longitudinally of the arm 32 and is provided at its opposite ends with later- `ally extending branches 56 and 57 designed to receive'the shank of the clutch shifter 53 whereby the gear 49 may be shifted either into or out of engagement with the gear 5() and locked in its adjusted position. A coiled spring 58 bears against the shank of the shifter 53 and ,yieldably holds it engaged witlreither thelbranch of notch 56 or 57 as may be desired. lt will thus he seen that the needle oper ating mechanism may be thrown into either operativeA or inoperative position when desired, simply by shifting the lever 53 to connect or disconnect `shaft 45 with the drive shaft 9. i

'lhe shaft 8 which is fixedly mounted in `tl1e frame lis provided in its Lipper face with a plurality of longitudinally spaced notches 8? and in its outer side wall with a plurality of spaced sockets 8b, the latter being designed to receive a pin. 60 slidably mounted in the lower wall of the arm 32 and ywhich is projected by a coiled spring 6l located between the rear end of the pin and the end wall of itsseat as` is shown clearly in .Fig 8. v'lhis'pin when engaged with one of the sockets 8b securely'lflocks the head 30 'against swinging movement onal the shaft' 9 whilea web carried by the lower face of molinos the arm '32 enters one of the notches 8 and holds saidA head securely against longitudinal movement relative to the shaft 8. finger grip 62 depends from the pin 60 in convenient position for actuating thepin to release .it against the tension of the spring 6l when it is desired to swing the head up into inoperative position as shown in Fig. 5. adjust one of the heads 30 to space it a desired distance from an adjacent head, after releasing pin 60, the head is swungupward on the shaft 9 a suflicient distance to release it from engagement with the notch 8a in the shaft 8 and then said head may be moved longitudinally along said shaft 9 and again lowered to bring the engaging element G5 thereof into one of the notches 8 whereby the head'is held against longitudinal move-- To f rllhe Ashuttle carriers l() which co-operate y with the needle carriers or heads 30 are also mounted forshding and swinging movement on the shaft 7 and have depending recessed' lugs 66 and 67 ontheir lower faces which are designed to lit over the shafts 5 and 61 shaft 5 being notched as shown at 5a to correspond with the notches 8a in the shaft 8 and which are designed to receive the members 66 of the shuttle carriers to lock them against longitudinal movement relatively to the shafts.

rThe shaft 6 is iin-notched and operates merely as a guide forthe shuttle. It is of course understood that iny order to adjust the position of one of the shuttle carriers 10, it must be swung upward a sufficient distance to release the .member 66 from the notch 'of the shaft 5 as shown in Fig. 5 and it may then be moved along the shaft Z into thedesired position and locked by lowering it to cause the lug 66 to engage a notch 5L in shaft 5. The shuttle carriers are exactly alike, and each is prvided on itsupper face with throat plates or work-feeding plates 68, two of which are here shown for co-operation with the needles 35.

Shuttle operating means of conventional design are also shown inlfig. 3 and include asa part thereof an eccentric 69 mounted on shaft 'i'. 'l i claim l. ln a sewing machine, the combination of a supporting structure, a plurality of needle carrier heads mounted in said structure, a driving shaft for said heads, needles mounted to reciprocate in said heads, connecting means between said driving shaft and. needles for actuating the latter, means for throwing said connectin A means into and out of eneaey D D ment with said shalt and means for locking said throwing means in operative position both when said connecting means into and out of engagement.

2. ln a sewing machine, the combination of a supporting structure, a plurality ot' needle carrier heads mounted in said structure and adjustable toward and away from each other,

said heads being mounted to swing vertically, means for holding said heads against longitudinal movement, a shaft for supporting said heads in operative position, eo-operating means on saidshal't and heads for holding ythe heads against longitudinal movement, and co-actmg means on the shaft and head for rel iasably locking the heads against vertical niovement.

tl. ln a sewmg u'lachine, the emnbinatlon ot a supporting structure, a plurality of needleV carrier heads mounted in said structure and adjustable toward and away from each other,

means for holding said heads againsl longi tudinal movement, a shaft for sul'iporting said heads in operative position, eo-operating means on said shaft and heads for l'iolding the heads against longitudinal movement, and ifo-acting means on the shaft and heads for releasahly locking` the heads against vertical movement, said loekingmeans comprising a spring-projected pin carried by the heads and a plurality of sockets carried by the shaft to receive said pin.

et. In a sewing machine, a supporting structure, a plurality of shafts supported in said structure, needle-carrying heads mounted for sliding movement on one of said shafts, a1- other of said shafts having a plurality of longitudinally spaced notches, means arried by said needle 'heads to engage said notches and lock the heads in adjusted position relative to each other and to the shafts, and shuttle carriers mounted on the other shaft and having means for holding them in adj usted position to eo-operate with the needle heads.

and needle heads having cru-operating means for locking the heads in adjusted position, shuttleearr1ers mounted for shdahle movement on one of the other shafts, another ofsaid shafts and said shuttle carriers having cooperative means for locking the carriers in adjusted position relatively to each other and to eo-operate with the needle carrier heads, and operating means for the needles of said heads.

(i. In a sewing machine, the combination of a supporting structure, a plu ality of needle carrier heads mounted on said strueture and having openings in their upper ends, a driving shaft for said heads, driving gears slidably keyed to said shafts in said heads, needles mounted to reciprocate in said heads, transverse shafts revol 'ably mounted in said heads and operatively connected at one end with said needles for actuating the latter, gears slidably keyed to said transverse shafts in said heads and adapted to engage the'gears on said driving shaft, shifting levers engaged with the gears on said transverse shafts and projecting upwardly through the openings in the upper ends of said heads whereby the gears with which said levers are engaged may he shifted into and out of engagement with the gears on said driving shaft, and laterally extending branches at the ends of said openings to receive the upwardly projecting ends of said levers whereby the latter are locked for holding the gears engaged thereby into and out of engagement With the gears on said driving shaft.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

CLARISSA LEHMANN. 

